Horse owned by sanctioned Putin ally taken in theft in Czech Republic

08 March 2023 , 16:35

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Zazou: top Czech stallion alleged to be owned by Ramzan Kadyrov has been stolen (Image: BBC)

A racehorse allegedly owned by a close ally of Russian president Vladimir Putin has been stolen from a stable in the Czech Republic in an incident with echoes of the kidnapping of Shergar.

The disappearance of the 16-year-old Group 1-winning stallion Zazou, who raced for Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov, was reported last weekend from a stud outside Prague.

Czech police believe the horse, a son of Shamardal said to be worth about £17,000, was led away under cover of darkness after the safety chain was removed from the barn door.

Kadyrov’s racehorses have been under sanctions since 2014 when Russia illegally annexed Crimea.

It follows a reported attempt to take the horse and another thoroughbred in January last year, before the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

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Police said Zazou was identifiable from a white mark in the shape of a star on his forehead.

Zazou, who won more than £1 million in prize-money during his racing career, was among the Chechen’s European assets to be frozen after Russia invaded Ukraine.

Any money won was to be used towards the horses upkeep with the rest frozen.

Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov: believed to own the stallion Zazou stolen in the Czech Republic (Yelena Afonina/TASS)

The EU’s action prompted Kadyrov to declare in a Facebook post reported by the Moscow Times, "What can we say about human rights in the West, if they crudely violate the rights of horses, the most peaceful, kind and gentle animals in the world?"

Zazou was one of a number of Kadyrov-owned horses to enjoy international success between 2008 and 2013 with his biggest win coming in Singapore with Gitano Hernando who landed the 2011 Singapore Airlines International Cup which carried a first prize of £850,000.

Another horse North America was a leading performer in Dubai up to 2019 after which his trainer, six-times UAE champion Sateesh Seemar, had his licence suspended in 2021 due to his connection to Kadyrov.

Shergar was the 1981 Derby-winning thoroughbred owned by the Aga Khan who was kidnapped from his stable in County Kildare in 1983 and held for ransom but never found.

Jon Lees